Dairy farming is a pricey business, no matter the size. Data collected by the Center for Dairy Profitability estimates that the average dairy farm uses 800 to 1,200 kWh per cow of electricity each year.

Milk cooling is easily the most costly aspect of energy use on a dairy, but reaching a close second is lighting at 46 percent of the total electrical energy used throughout one year.

In most dairy operations, facilities were built with incandescent light bulbs and later transitioned to T8 fluorescent lights when they were made available, says Katie Stradal of Orion Energy Systems’ Agricultural Division. The T8 bulbs are designed to last nearly 65 percent longer and use 20 percent less energy than the traditional bulb.

As technology continues to improve, there may be an even better option.

“Unlike other applications, technology is not going out of style,” says Stradal. “It would be wise for dairymen to start considering the use of light-emitting diode (LED) lights in their operations.”

LED lights are designed to last at least 50,000 hours, the equivalent of nearly six years, and require minimal maintenance. They have been proven to be most effective when run 24 hours a day, seven days a week in a facility such as a milking parlor.

In February, a 5,000-cow dairy located in southern Idaho decided to reap the benefits of installing LED lights into their double-60 herringbone parlor.

Skyline Dairy first became operational in 2008 and has always been eager to implement new, successful ways of dairying into their business.

“One day, I told my boss we needed to find better lighting so the milkers could get the udders more clean,” says Alvaro Llanos, who has been herd manager at Skyline Dairy for three years. “If we installed [LED lights], they could improve their milking preparations and be able to clean the cows better.”

Jordan Bowen of Automated Dairy Systems (ADS) worked with Skyline Dairy to get the project up and running in three months.

“Skyline Dairy is a very progressive business, the first in the area to install these lights to improve energy efficiency,” says Bowen. “Now several other producers are looking into the option but waiting to see Skyline’s payback on the installation.”

Of course, it is still too early to have definite numbers for the return on investment of this project, but Bowen has already seen major energy savings in this area of the farm.

With fluorescent lights, Skyline Dairy was using 400 watts of power, and now they have saved 300-some-odd watts of power just by switching to LED lights, he says. Likewise, the dairy has seen a savings of $2,400 in their July 2014 energy bill compared to that of July last year.

The project was made possible with the incentives that were available through Idaho Power’s Custom Efficiency Program, which allowed the installation of the new light fixtures in the parlor to be at an affordable cost to the dairyman.

“We have worked with about 20 percent of Idaho’s dairies, getting them enrolled in some type of energy-efficiency program,” says Quentin Nesbit, engineering project leader at Idaho Power. “Most producers work with our incentive programs for irrigation projects, making Skyline one of the few, if not the only, lighting projects we’ve helped within the agricultural sector.”

In order to qualify for the different incentive programs that Idaho Power offers, a business needs to be able to save 100,000 kW per hour of energy per year through their operation. For a dairy, that savings doesn’t necessarily have to come from the lights, specifically, but could rather come from cooling the milk, water energy, heating, etc.

Qualifying for the Custom Efficiency Program was an easy process for Skyline Dairy, according to those involved with the project.

Upon discussing the renovation with the contractors of ADS, Skyline Dairy approached the utility company about the incentive program that could be available for them. After an inspection of the facilities by Idaho Power, the dairy filed a payment application to begin the project.

The utility company then determined the amount of lights to be replaced with a standardized amount that could be saved, explains Nesbit. For a retrofit lighting project, like that of the dairy, a formula was used to calculate the savings: watts x fixtures = X amount of incentives.

“Offering these different incentive packages helps both parties,” says Nesbit. “They could offer a lot of savings for the producer and, in the long run, for us as well.”

The herd manager at Skyline Dairy has seen the savings of LED lights with the improved parlor efficiency.

“The cows now look better and I like that; I’m happy with these lights,” Llanos says. “It’s important to us that the parlor, the main part of the dairy, is working properly and prforming its best. The LED lights have helped us with that.”

Bowen adds that LEDs produce light that is similar to daylight, which has allowed for a smooth adjustment for the cows as they come into the parlor.

The push for more energy-efficient lighting has never been greater. According to Orion Energy Systems, LED lights have become increasingly popular, especially as prices have decreased over time.

Within the past year, Stradal has noted that 40 percent of their light sales have been attributed to LEDs, an increase since years past.

Whether you are a dairyman in Idaho or anywhere else in the country, most utility companies offer some kind of incentive package for a renovation project designed to save energy.

Most programs will pay up to 20 percent of the renovation costs, allowing it to be paid back over a period of months and maintaining the cash flow of the business. Nesbit suggests discussing the options with your local utility company or contractor.

As one of the first dairies in Idaho to implement LED lights, Skyline Dairy’s manager and the contractor think this could be the wave of the future for agricultural lighting, a renovation that dairies should be researching for their specific needs.

“There should be no reason a dairyman hasn’t considered this [updating light fixtures] option,” says Bowen. PD

Jennifer Janak is a 2014 Progressive Dairyman editorial intern.

PHOTO
LEDs produce light that is similar to daylight, which has allowed for a smooth adjustment for the cows as they come into the parlor. Photo by PD staff.